Patrick Stevens' coverage of college sports in D.C./Baltimore/Virginia, just the same as ever

Virginia

11/17/2015

On the surface, there's one easy takeaway from George Washington's 73-68 defeat of Virginia on Monday.

Namely, George Washington scored 73 points against Virginia.

And that hasn't happened in regulation against the Cavaliers in nearly two years. So, yeah, the Colonials (2-0) were pretty good offensively.

Now, some of that was arguably a function of a shorter shot clock, though George Washington didn't flirt with going a full 30 seconds on a possession nearly as much as Virginia's opponents tended to the last two seasons with 35 seconds to work with. The Colonials also scored 23 points at the foul line, making 82.1 percent of their free throws.

But the bottom line is the last team to score more than 73 points in regulation on Virginia was Tennessee in a 87-52 Cavalier loss on Dec. 30, 2013. Since then, only three teams have reached the 70-point plateau in regulation against Virginia, a span of 60 games.

The rundown of the most points surrendered by Virginia since the calendar turned to 2014:

11/16/2015

There are few things as underappreciated in college basketball as the art of scheduling, at least for good teams --- especially for those with only so much leverage to work with.

That's one way of describing George Washington, which built a brilliant slate for a veteran team for this particular season. It got Penn State, Rutgers and Seton Hall to come to the raucous Smith Center in December, and also returns a game to DePaul. All have some power conference pedigree. None are particularly dominant (though the Colonials lost to Penn State and Seton Hall last season).

But the jewel of the schedule was a visit from Virginia, the back end of a home-and-home coach Mike Lonergan acknowledges wasn't easy to come by. And Monday's 73-68 victory over the Cavaliers in a crammed building is only going to make it even trickier for George Washington to lure more quality teams to its home gym.

"We really have trouble scheduling," Lonergan said. "We work very hard, [director of basketball operations] Matt Lisiewski, myself and [athletic director Patrick] Nero. For them, that loss shouldn't hurt them if we do what we're supposed to do this year. We have to take advantage of those opportunities. We don't get them very often. Sure, I wish Maryland would play us or Georgetown would play us. I give all the credit. This guy will play."

"This guy" is Tony Bennett, whose Cavaliers have shown a willingness to play in a variety of settings as they've gotten better and better. Virginia opened 2012-13 at George Mason and last year at James Madison. It played a home-and-home with Virginia Commonwealth. It visited Wisconsin-Green Bay (Bennett's alma mater) and lost two seasons ago.

The number of high-major coaches willing to regularly risk such situations isn't particularly high, both for competitive and financial reasons. When the discussion is about playing a school with a track record of beating big-name programs, the willingness to take a gamble decreases even more.

In just the last three seasons, George Washington defeated Miami, Creighton, Rutgers (twice), Maryland, Georgia, DePaul, Colorado, Wichita State, Pittsburgh and Virginia. Not all of those teams from high-profile leagues are actually good (here's looking at you, Rutgers). The Colonials caught an apathetic Pitt team in the NIT. The Maryland of two years ago isn't as good as it is now.

But with that many notable triumphs, it's not accidental. And the Colonials' hope of getting Virginia to visit Foggy Bottom for the first time since 1983 in this particular year wasn't random, either.

Patricio Garino, who scored 18 points on an efficient night, is a senior. Point guard Joe McDonald? Also a senior. Center Kevin Larsen, whose passing was crucial to besting the Cavaliers' stingy defense? A senior as well. Wake Forest transfer Tyler Cavanaugh, who matched Garino with 18 points, is a fourth-year junior.

In Lonergan's rebuilding project, this was the season George Washington was building toward. Monday doesn't completely silence some of the larger concerns about the Colonials (though reserve guard Paul Jorgensen turned in a stellar performance to provide some oomph off the bench), but it also functioned as a reminder of how dangerous this veteran team can be in the right circumstances.

"It's definitely memorable for life," Garino said. "I think beating ranked teams three years in a row is a big deal, but we're honestly not surprised."

Nope, and he shouldn't be. But getting Virginia (or an another nonconference team of its quality) to come to the Smith Center again anytime soon would qualify as increasingly unexpected after Monday.

So that should be a fun day in Charlottesville. It might be safe to begin planning a return trip to Boylan Heights that weekend, too.

While Virginia hasn't played a lacrosse game in Scott Stadium since 1995 --- basically, before a natural grass surface replaced the old turf --- there was a lightly attended NCAA quarterfinal doubleheader there in 2004.

Must-see: The Al Groh homecoming game is Oct. 15 when Georgia Tech pays a visit to Charlottesville. Then again, October is Lord Groh's time, so maybe that isn't the point when the Cavaliers would like to see their old coach come to town.

A favorable setup: Virginia plays four straight home games in the middle of the schedule, and starts with five home games in the first seven contests. If the Cavaliers are going to break a three-year bowl drought, they're going to have to get some wins early against a fairly friendly nonconference schedule. That's because. ...

And not so much: November is brutal. Virginia visits Maryland, after after a date with Duke it finishes with Florida State and Virginia Tech. Sure, the Commonwealth Cup will be decided at Scott Stadium, but this could look like the fruitless closing stretches the Cavaliers have grown all-too-accustomed to in recent years.

The full schedule:

Sept. 3: William and MarySept. 10: at IndianaSept. 17: at North CarolinaSept. 24: Southern Mississippi

02/03/2011

As Duke began to pull away from Maryland last night in Comcast Center, there was a minor distraction (at least for one person with an Internet connection sitting in the media section).

Down in Charlottesville, Virginia was busy fending off Clemson for a 49-47 victory in a game no one would likely deem a work of art.

It was the first game between ACC teams to end without either team scoring at least 50 points since 1997.

It was the fourth game between ACC schools in the shot clock era to end without a team in the 50s, and just the second in the 35-second clock era (remember, the clock was 45 seconds when introduced in the mid-1980s).

It was the first game (including nonconference play) involving an ACC team without a team scoring 50 points in more than five years (Wake Forest's memorable 47-40 barnburner against Richmond just before Christmas in 2005).

So, yeah, last night's festivities at John Paul Jones Arena were rare. But no records were broken, even if Clemson and Virginia gave it a good go.

For those wondering, the ACC coach with the most games in the shot clock era that didn't escape the 40s is, somewhat predictably, Herb Sendek with four. He was also involved in the only game with an ACC team that didn't even make it into the 40s with a shot clock, losing 38-36 to Princeton early in his second season.

01/27/2011

CHARLOTTESVILLE --- John Paul Jones Arena is a frightful place for Maryland, an arena home to a pair of miked-up rims, a team committed to defense and more than enough bad memories for the Terrapins.

It is not a place Maryland played particularly well in its first four visits.

But not this time. And not when the Terps so direly needed an emphatic performance.

"I know," guard Adrian Bowie said warily Thursday.

Bowie scored 22 points in a 66-42 rout of Virginia, Maryland's largest margin of victory in Thomas Jefferson's old stomping grounds in 81 years.

It was not a close call, like last year's lethargic regular season finale. It wasn't a potentially crippling loss, like the defeat at the end of the 2009 regular season. And it wasn't a dagger like the humiliating 2008 setback, which came after a week-long layoff.

"It feels great," Bowie said. "We had trouble last year. We had trouble two years ago. We lost two years ago. We lost three yeras ago. To come in and get a great win like this, it's a great feeling."

Even better is Maryland didn't absorb the sort of loss that could haunt it later in the season.

And let's be completely clear: Losses to Virginia, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech --- the Terps' opponent on Sunday in Atlanta --- could be a scarlet letter upon the resumes of any of the ACC's bubble dwellers. Maryland is 2-0 against that bunch --- triple-digit RPI teams, all --- with three more games to come before the regular season is through.

Maryland (13-7, 3-3) remains a team without great tangible accomplishments, but it again expertly navigated a potential pitfall with ease. Faced with an undermanned, undersized and inexperienced Virginia outfit, the Terps eventually cracked the Cavaliers' defensive code after a so-so start.

It is difficult to believe, in retrospect, Virginia once held a five-point lead. But in both the micro (a 14-1 Maryland spurt) and the macro (a 49-20 edge over a 25-minute span), the Terps pulverized the Cavaliers (11-9, 2-4) after figuring out how to handle a different defensive look.

To be sure, Virginia accomplished something no one meaningful had done all season: It slowed down Jordan Williams. The sophomore had four points and six rebounds, his double-doubles streak done at 13 games and under the best possible conditions.

After it became clear the Cavaliers' unwillingness to let Williams dismember them became obvious, it was on the rest of Maryland's roster to carry things. And that meant kicking it out to Bowie, Cliff Tucker (13 points) and Pe'Shon Howard (nine points).

"It was a little different," Bowie said. "We weren't used to that. At the same time, we wanted to keep getting it to Jordan. Once we realized Jordan was getting double- and triple-teamed, he had to realize he had to kick it out to us. Once we started doing that, we made open shots."

It just took a while. Maryland led 26-21 at the break, and Virginia remained within eight more than five minutes into the second half. Then Howard charged in for a layup, sparking a 17-7 burst to effectively finish off Virginia.

More significantly, it was a measure of creativity and court vision Maryland hasn't always received this season, but very much needed Thursday --- and will over the regular season's final 11 games.

"They threw a lot of guys at Jordan, and we were standing around in the first half and we started to move better," coach Gary Williams said. "Pe'Shon's cut for a layup, that was a big play because instead of me drawing something on the board, the players saw that."

They also saw a lopsided victory come in the least likely of venues. In four previous trips to JPJ --- all with Greivis Vasquez on their side --- the Terps had never played particularly well and won only once.

Heck, the Terps hadn't won by double digits in Charlottesville since 1975. There are few guarantees, but one Maryland could count on for more than a generation was its visits to Virginia would be harrowing.

But not on Thursday. Not when a comfortable and impressive victory was precisely what the Terps needed.

"You never, never, never expect that," Gary Williams said. "Last year, we played a game here that we had to win to tie for first place in the regular season. We were up the whole game, and that thing came right down to the end. It's something unexpected, and obviously it hasn't happened for 35 years. I had no reason to expect it."

But he happily took it back to the Terps' team bus, content with a victory Maryland had to have earned in a way no one could have possibly seen coming.

01/24/2011

Taking a look at how Maryland's six holdovers have fared against Virginia as the Terrapins prepare to visit Charlottesville on Thursday, and one thing stands out: Dino Gregory has done rather well during his career against the Cavaliers.

Gregory is shooting 71.4 percent in four career games against Virginia, and he's averaging a solid 15.5 points per 40 minutes against the Cavaliers.

As for Jordan Williams, he had a double-double in his first game against the Cavaliers last year before Virginia made things a bit more difficult for him in the return trip.

01/05/2011

Virginia's game at Syracuse was shifted from March 6 at 1 p.m. to March 4 at 6 p.m. The reason? Pretty safe to say that it's Tee-Vee. Indeed, the game will be on ESPNU.

In this case, moving that game so a national audience can see it is a very good thing. No lacrosse series is quite as much fun as Cavaliers-Orange, particularly early in the season when teams are likely to respond to offense with more offense rather than a greater commitment to defense.